The Best Weekend Ski Resort Escapes

Get your powder fix at these four weekend resorts.

THE QUICKEST FIXALTA/SNOWBIRD, UTAHWhen you see a storm headed for Salt Lake City, book the first flight to town arriving before 10 a.m. on a Friday—and go to the airport with your long underwear on. Deplane, check into the Cliff Lodge, and you'll be on snow by 11:30. Continue skiing choker powder at Alta and Snowbird until they shut the lifts Sunday afternoon. Fly home contented an hour and a half later. Complain to your co-workers about your sore legs for three days, minimum. snowbird.com

POSTGAMEWHISTLER BLACKCOMB, BRITISH COLUMBIASeattleites drive here, but a three-day jaunt is within reach of anyone on the West Coast. And why not? With 5,000 vertical feet of skiing, Whistler Blackcomb is like the Alps without the jet lag. The buildup for the 2010 Winter Olympics included major improvements to the Sea to Sky Highway, which cuts about a half-hour off the drive (or shuttle) from Vancouver. And the expected post-Olympic visitation hangover is in full effect—there's usually a dip after the Games—leaving deals galore at swanky hotels like Adara (adarahotel.com). whistlerblackcomb.com

DON'T FORGET ABOUT CALISQUAW VALLEY USA, CALIFORNIASee those big, rockered powder skis on page 34? They make the Sierra's trademark heavy powder easier and more fun to ski. Our advice: Get some, and go there—it's easier to get to than you think. Squaw is just three hours by car from the Bay Area, and Reno, with direct service to just about every major city in the U.S., is just an hour away. squaw.com

BORDER TOWNJAY PEAK, VERMONTA freak combination of topography, geography, and a weird phenomenon known as the Jay Cloud means Jay Peak—tucked up in the Northeast Kingdom, just a few miles from Canada—gets western-style snow. The place averages more than 300 inches in a good year. Plus it's one of the few eastern hills with legit chute and face skiing. All that and it's only four hours from Boston. jaypeakresort.com

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